


One True Pairing

by benicemurphy



Category: Free!
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, FreeVDay2019, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Nonsense, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-04 01:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17888576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benicemurphy/pseuds/benicemurphy
Summary: The boys get together once a week to watch a show together, and amidst talk of their favorite pairings, Haru realizes that there's something Makoto needs to hear.





	One True Pairing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [knoc0ut](https://archiveofourown.org/users/knoc0ut/gifts).



> This is my gift for [Koko](https://twitter.com/knoc0ut) for the Free! Valentine's Day Exchange! I hope you like it! You asked for anything fluffy, so I hope this qualifies! Happy Valentine's Day!

Haru didn’t know how he and Makoto got roped into watching TV with Kisumi and Asahi every week — some sports anime about a group of guys who started a rowing club at their university — but it had become a tradition for the four of them to get together to watch the newest episodes as they aired, and Makoto seemed to rather enjoy it.

Regardless of how it began, that was how he found himself with Makoto, just like every other week, dutifully making their way over to Kisumi’s apartment in time for it to start.

Before they could even knock on the door, Haru could hear the unmistakably loud banter between their two friends. Kisumi had probably said something flirtatious to tease Asahi, and Asahi, being the bonehead that he was, probably took the bait and gave Kisumi exactly the reaction he was looking for. Makoto’s quiet chuckle from beside him told him that Makoto had picked up on the same thing.

Makoto knocked on the door, and one loud _thump_ and an incoherent exclamation later, Kisumi was at the door waving them inside.

“Come in, you guys! Glad you could make it!”

Haru leveled Kisumi with his best _obviously we made it, we come every week, what were you expecting_ look, and in exchange, Kisumi tossed an arm over his shoulder and dragged him over to the couch, much to Haru’s chagrin.

It wasn’t that he still disliked Kisumi, or that he had any reason to feel threatened now that Kisumi and Asahi were together, but he also had no interest in being in such close proximity to anyone other than Makoto. To make his feelings known, he settled himself farther than necessary away from Kisumi on the couch, leaving just enough room for Makoto to sit on the other side. Haru was quite pleased when Makoto sat down without hesitation and didn’t ask him to scoot over, despite the obvious lack of personal space.

They settled down to watch as Kisumi and Asahi brought out the popcorn and drinks. It was bit overboard, Haru thought, for a 30-minute show, but Makoto loved popcorn and Kisumi loved hosting, so he sat quietly and let it happen.

At one point, about halfway through the episode during an emotionally-charged scene about a boy opening his heart to another member of his team, Asahi elbowed Haru in the ribs and waggled his eyebrows at him.

“They’d be good together, huh?” he said. It was more of a statement than an actual request for Haru’s opinion, so Haru just shrugged and went back to watching the show. The other boy was looking back at his friend with big, shining eyes, like he had never seen his friend before that moment, even though they had been friends for as long as they could remember.

“They’re so sweet,” Kisumi lamented with a sigh. “They should just admit that they love each other and be together.”

Makoto sighed beside him, and Haru could feel it against his side, pressed as closely as they were together. It was comfortable and warm, and if he wanted to, he could probably lay his head on Makoto’s shoulder.

“I don’t know, it seems a little one-sided, I think,” Makoto said. “I think Tao is probably better off with Shintaro.”

Haru scoffed at the comment. Was he crazy? “Tao and Shintaro have nothing in common outside of rowing. They would be terrible together,” he said matter-of-factly.

Makoto shrugged. “I don’t know, they have a really strong bond.”

“So do Tao and Kyo!” Asahi interjected. “And they know each other better than anyone! A stupid bond over rowing isn’t worth much if that’s all there is.”

Kisumi nodded vehemently in agreement. “Good point, babe! Tao and Kyo belong together! They’re like, soulmates!” he cooed, then he and Asahi slapped a loud high-five.

Makoto just chuckled and continued watching the show. The scene had switched and the team was now discussing strategies for the second half of the regatta. They needed to place at least second in their remaining heats to qualify for the finals, and they were facing some serious competition. Usually, Tao preferred to row a single, but because they needed to stack their odds as much as possible, his coach and teammates were trying to convince him to row in a pair with another strong teammate. For most of the episode, he had been unwilling to budge, but near the end, as his team was making one last effort to get Tao to team up with someone, he spied Kyo coming out of the boathouse and going off to be by himself.

As the episode came to a close, the final line was a proclamation from Tao that the only way he’d race in a pair was if he could have Kyo as his partner.

Loud cheers erupted from Asahi and Kisumi as the ending credit song played. Asahi pumped his fists victoriously, shaking the popcorn bowl precariously, and Makoto quickly leaned over to avoid a disastrous spill, crossing over Haru in the process. Haru allowed himself a self-indulgent whiff as the scent of Makoto’s cologne wafted over him. He smelled clean and bright, a happy smell for a happy, beautiful person.

“Yes!” Asahi shouted. “I knew it! The only person he wants to be with is Kyo!”

Kisumi giggled at Asahi’s enthusiasm before smacking him in the face with a pillow, pulling a startled “oomph” from him.

“Be quiet or the neighbors will get angry again,” he laughed, and for some reason that Haru did not want to investigate, it made Asahi blush three shades darker than his regular color.

Having saved the popcorn, Makoto righted himself, increasing the distance slightly so that they were no longer pressed flush against each other, and Haru immediately mourned the loss of contact. When he looked over at his friend, Makoto was smiling wistfully at the TV as he watched the ED. Haru poked him lightly, just enough to get his attention but not enough to bother him. When he looked back, Haru raised an eyebrow in question. Makoto simply smiled his usual affectionate smile, the one that Haru only ever saw directed at himself. It immediately made him feel warm again.

“What do you think, Haru?” Makoto finally asked. Haru wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something not right in Makoto’s expression. It was subtle, though, and Haru couldn’t pinpoint what it might be.

“About what?”

“About what Tao said. That he’d only row with Kyo.”

“Ooooh yeah Haru, what do _you_ think?” Kisumi asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“I don’t know why everyone is so excited,” he huffed, not appreciating the sudden attention. The something-not-quite-right in Makoto’s expression flashed a little brighter, and Haru’s heart did an uncomfortable somersault at the sight. He hated whatever was happening. He just wanted Makoto to be happy. “It makes sense that he only wants to row with Kyo,” he continued. “Kyo knows him better than anyone. They’ll make a good team.”

Makoto’s expression barely wavered. “Yeah,” he agreed, “a good team.”

Asahi leaned over and flicked Makoto in the ear. “Cheer up, sad sack!” he said, then softened his voice to something more reassuring. “They’ll be together in the end. I promise.”

Haru thought that was a ridiculous thing to promise — they were characters on a show, and more than likely they were not going to make two boys fall in love on a show about rowing — but Makoto smiled a shy smile at Asahi, light blush on the apples of his cheeks where it always appeared when he was a little embarrassed, and Haru decided that it was a forgivable ridiculous promise to make if it made Makoto look like that. Even so, glancing back and forth between the two of them, Haru felt like he was missing something. It made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like being out of the loop where Makoto was concerned.

“What’s wrong with being a good team?” Haru asked. He usually wouldn’t be so invested in a conversation about imaginary characters hypothetically getting together, but something was bothering Makoto, and he wanted to understand.

“Nothing at all!” Kisumi answered. “Haru’s right, they _are_ the perfect team. But that’s just because they’re so in _loooooove_.” He grinned his big, foxy grin and waggled his eyebrows at Haru again, and despite their previous differences, Haru couldn’t help the amused smile that threatened to surface at Kisumi’s tease. To hide it, he ducked his head toward Makoto, drawing himself closer to him again, where he felt safest and happiest. 

Makoto sucked in a breath, barely audible enough for Haru to hear, but when he looked up into those big, green eyes, he saw a tentative kind of softness that he had seen only a couple of times before.

“Is that what you think, too, Haru? Do you think they’re in—in love?”

Haru didn’t miss the stutter. For some reason, his answer to this question was important to Makoto. Makoto _wanted_ Tao and Kyo to be in love. Even if he argued about Shintaro being a better match, even if he thought that Kyo’s love was one-sided, he _wanted_ it to be reciprocated. It was important.

Suddenly, as if someone had turned on a lightbulb in a pitch black room, Haru could see clearly. He understood exactly why this silly conversation was so important to Makoto, and he knew exactly what he needed to say — and he was _not_ going to say it in front of Kisumi and Asahi.

Instead, he looked Makoto in the eye and nodded. Makoto’s eyes widened, but before he could open his mouth to speak, Haru stood abruptly and grabbed Makoto by the hand to drag him out of Kisumi’s apartment.

“Wait!” Makoto called, but Haru didn’t slow down. Asahi and Kisumi were both in the middle of saying something, both having been taken a bit by surprise at Haru’s impulsive behavior, but Haru couldn’t make out any of it. He elected to ignore them instead, and when he and Makoto were halfway out the door, Makoto turned back over his shoulder and called, “Thank you for having us!” before the door closed behind them and Haru was dragging him down the road to find somewhere private to sit.

Makoto allowed Haru to drag him for a little while, eventually adjusting his gait so that he was walking next to Haru instead of behind him, but he never pulled his hand away. The knowledge that Makoto deliberately let him continue to hold his hand made Haru’s pulse quicken and the back of his neck heat up, but he didn’t let it slow him down. He didn’t slow down at all until he found a bench in a quiet park. It was late enough that not many people were still walking around that part of town, and dark enough that they probably wouldn’t be seen from the road. It was perfect.

He turned and plopped Makoto onto the bench and then sat beside him, as close as possible, hovering slightly in front of him so that he could maintain full eye-contact with his best friend. Makoto was staring back at him looking one part terrified and two parts completely mystified, but he still held fast to Haru’s hand.

“Makoto,” he said.

Makoto swallowed. “What’s this about, Haru?”

“It’s about…” he trailed off, unsure where to start. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and tried again. “Makoto, what you said at Kisumi’s, about it being one-sided. Why do you think that?”

The look came back into Makoto’s eyes then, the one that wasn’t quite right, and suddenly Haru recognized it for what it was. It was _hopelessness_. The thought of unrequited love made Makoto feel _hopeless_. The thought stung him deeply. It made him hurt and angry with himself to think that he could ever cause Makoto to feel that way, even accidentally. His grip tightened on Makoto’s hand, and he adjusted it so that their fingers were slotted together.

“Why do you think that?” he asked again, gently, leaning in just a little bit closer so that Makoto couldn’t avoid his gaze.

“It’s just… Kyo told him how he felt, you know, when he said all of those things about trust and never seeing anyone else the way he sees Tao.” Haru nodded for him to continue. Makoto hesitated for just a moment, seemingly unsure if he should finish his thought, but Haru pushed closer and Makoto’s doubt faltered. “A-and Tao didn’t say anything,” Makoto whispered. “He told him how he felt and Tao never said anything. It j-just seemed like maybe he didn’t…” He allowed the rest of his sentence to trail off into silence, but Haru understood what was left unsaid.

“He does,” Haru murmured, matching Makoto’s soft tone. “He just doesn’t say things the same way that other people do.” He inched slowly toward Makoto, risking a glance at his lips. It would have been impossible for Makoto not to see it, and in response, Makoto licked his lips before allowing his own gaze to drop to Haru’s. “Kyo should know that. He knows Tao better than anyone.”

“Yeah,” Makoto breathed. “Yeah, I should have known that.”

“You should have.”

Haru paused before they made contact, lips just a couple of centimeters from Makoto’s. If they spoke, he’d probably be able to feel Makoto’s lips brush against his own. With a shaking exhale and the last bit of courage he had left, he closed his eyes and bridged the gap between them.

Slowly, as if worried that Makoto would pull away if he moved too quickly, Haru lifted his free hand and brought it up to tangle in Makoto’s wild hair. When Makoto didn’t protest, Haru pulled him closer, deepening their kiss, pushing all of his unspoken words into it. His pulse was hammering, his ears ringing, his breath becoming short, but he never wanted it to end. He was kissing Makoto — he was _kissing Makoto —_ and now that it was really happening, it was all he wanted to do.

Makoto broke the kiss first but stayed close. “Haru,” he said, catching his breath. “I—”

“I know.” Haru swallowed thickly. He needed to say his piece now. “Makoto,” he opened his eyes and ran his fingers gently through Makoto’s hair while he gazed into his eyes. “Makoto, I… I want to swim with you, too.” He held eye contact until he was sure that Makoto understood the full gravity of his words. Makoto’s returning smile crinkled his eyes in the most beautiful way, and Haru was sure he’d be blinded by the brightness of it if he wasn’t already too close to see it.

“I know,” Makoto replied before pulling Haru in for another heart-stopping kiss. Haru allowed his eyes to fall shut again and concentrated on nothing but the feeling of kissing his best friend. He was overcome with joy at the thought that it was really happening.

Truthfully, being with Makoto had always seemed like an inevitability to Haru. He had known that somehow, someday, they’d end up together, but he had never known that it would feel so good when it finally happened. Every press and pull of Makoto’s lips against his, Makoto’s happy scent filling his senses, his fingers curled in Makoto’s soft, unruly hair; it all felt like a dream, but at the same time, so perfectly real, and he wanted to continue to feel all of it, with Makoto, forever. 


End file.
